Governor Urging State Health Department to Move on Medical Marijuana Program

By
Nick Reisman, Time Warner Cable News
on July 31, 2014

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office will direct the state Department of Health to speed up the implementation of the state’s medical marijuana program for children who have epilepsy, an administration official on Wednesday morning confirmed.

The move comes following the death of a 9-year-old Orchard Park girl whose family lobbied for the medical marijuana measure this year died from seizures earlier this month.

In the days since, Cuomo’s staff reportedly met with the state health commissioner and advocates for medical marijuana, who requested the program be implemented on a faster timetable.

The medical marijuana law was approved in June following an intense period of negotiations between the governor and the lawmakers who backed the legislation.

In the end, the program that was approved was one that gave broad authority over a medical marijuana program that would be implemented over the next 18 months.